The Film Daily (1937)

Intimate in Character, international in &jg£& Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Eighteen Years Old VOL. 71. NO. 7 NEW YORK, SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1937 TEN CENTS Paramount Sets $30,000,000 Budget for '37-38 List 10 P. CTCANCELLATION RIGHT GRANTEOY RKO Grand National Leases Educational^ Coast Studio Shorts as Lab . . . that Cullman suggestion = By CHESTER B. BAHN — — IN the tangy vernacular of the day, Howard S. Cullman, director-receiver of the Roxy theater, would appear to "have something" in his suggestion that the American film industry utilize the short subject as an experimental "laboratory." To some extent, of course, it does so today, but there is ample room for elaboration. Elaboration which would, in truth, mark a return to first principles. For time was, and you do not have to be a greybeard to remember when, that the one and two-reel field was not only a proving ground for new ideas but their source as well. NOR was the short subject merely a source of ideas. As concerns talent, it occupied the same relationship to the feature that vaudeville and the still more lowly burlesque did to the dramatic and musical comedy stage. It easily could again under the program advanced by Mr. Cullman. What should make that program particularly attractive to the industry is the fact that it entails only a modest financial outlay, with the investing studio having much to gain and little to lose. There is virtually equal opportunity for both the major company and the "little fellow." Among other things, as the Roxy directorreceiver observes, the short subject is the proper medium to plumb the public's reaction to the sociological theme, for which there is, in some quarters at least, increasing agitation. Other mass production industries have their trial balloons, find them of inestimable value; why not, then, the cinema? PATENTLY as yet it would not be good * business to invest up to a million dollars in such a trial balloon. Where venturesome producers have dared to manifest anything approaching "social awareness," the public's response has not been encouraging. Seventy-five million or more people weekly instead have demonstrated a marked pref(Continued on Page 2) All Producing Activties to be Centered at Plant by April Grand National has taken over the Educational studio at the coast under a 10-year lease, stated President Edward Alperson in New York yesterday. All producing activities of the company will be centered there starting in April, when the Western Electric lease, currently in effect, expires. Hal Lewis, who is now associated (Continued on Page 4) ITOA PACFHOLDS UP OPERATORS' MERGER Allied M. P. operators Union can take no action on the proposed merger with Local 306 until after Local 306 has worked out an agreement with the I. T. 0. A., with which Allied has a 10-year contract. After (Continued on Page 3) Bondholders Group Sees 6 Benefits In Roxy Plan In a letter to Roxy Theater bondholders' urging approval of the proposed reorganization plan under which 20th Century-Fox would acquire the theater, the first mortgage bondholders' committee states (Continued on Page 3) English Losses Said Heavy London (By Cable) — The British film industry has lost $10,000,000 out or $15,000,000 advanced by English banks during the past year, according to the Daily Film Renter, edited by Ernest W. Fredman. DALY-SIROVIGH DRAFT NEW COPYRIGHT BILL Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Congressmen J. Burwood Daly of Pennsylvania and William I. Sirovich of New York, the latter the chairman of the House patents committee, are drafting a bill to amend the copyright laws. They are particularly considering the position of Ascap in relation to the $250 minimum damages fee clause which the Duffy bill, now under reconsideration, would eliminate. Ontario's December Biz Said Biggest Since '09 December business in Ontario theaters was the biggest since 1909, according to J. J. Allen, who handles Columbia product in the Dominion. Last six months of 1936 were much better than the first half of the year, he said yesterday, prior to leaving New York last night for Toronto. Paramount Execs Discuss Production Plans for Next Year at Coast Meet Columbia Opens Eastern Sales Conference Today With the "Columbia Montague Sweepstakes" up for. discussion during the two-day session, the company's Eastern sales meeting got under way today at the St. Moritz Hotel. General Sales Manager A. Montague is presiding; Jack Cohn, (Continued on Page 3) West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — The record sum of $30,000,000 has been set aside by Paramount for its production budget for the season of 1937-38, Barney Balaban, president of the company, announced yesterday at the opening session of a two-day production conference at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, which was participated by Paramount executives (Continued on Page 3) Depinet Replies to Kuykendall on MPTOA Trade Practice Program Replying to the MPTOA 10-point trade practice program, RKO yesterday stated that it would grant a 10 per cent unconditional cancellation privilege. The letter from Ned E. Depinet to Ed Kuykendall, head of the exhibitor organization, also indicates that the distributor will not abolish its score charges but will support the local conciliation board plan. Depinet's letter to Kuykendall reads as follows: Our company has considered the (Continued on Page 3) WB TO HOLD PROGRAM CONFERENCE IN MAR. Warner Bros. -First National will lay out its 1937-38 program at conferences to be held at the coast in March. As yet the company, which sold 60 features for the current season, has not decided upon its total for next year, Gradwell L. Sears, (Continued on Page 3) Loew to Drop Bank Night Here When Opposition Does Loew's is ready to discard "Bank Night" in its metropolitan area houses as soon as its opposition does, according to statement made at the home office yesterday. Eighteen (Continued on Page 3) Court to Get RKO Claims Two claims against RKO aggregating $900,000 will be presented in Federal Court for adjudication shortly. One is the claim of the Security First National Bank for $700,000 representing a bond issue on the San Diego Theater and office building, San Diego, Cal., which RKO guaranteed. The other is for $200,000 representing a claim under a lease which RKO guaranteed on the Downtown Theater, Detroit.